Conveyor belts are widely used in numerous industries to easily move material from one place to another. Such conveyors normally comprise a plurality of belt modules that are usually arranged in a parallel configuration. This modularity of the conveyor belts constitutes an important characteristic as it enables the design of conveyor belts with removable belt modules. Removability of the modules offers several advantages. For example, belt modules that are easily removable allow the modules to be interchanged with other modules having different upper surface shapes in order to accommodate the various shapes and sizes of the material that may be carried by the conveyor. Moreover, in the food industry, rigorous sanitary needs call for a conveyor where the components that are in contact with the food are easily cleanable. On this point, belt modules that are easily removable provide a useful solution as it greatly facilitates the cleaning of these modules.
Several different prior art devices providing removable belt modules that are part of their structure are known to the Applicant.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,954 (Powell) discloses a conveyor with removable individual modules that can be attached to the conveyor structure. The modules are attached to the conveyor structure using the flexibility of the module to introduce one side of the module within an opening in the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,370 (Davies) teaches another conveyor with easily removable individual modules. According to this invention the modules are attached to the slats of the frame using protrusions extending from the module in a perpendicular direction to the displacement of the module on the conveyor, the protrusions fitting inside corresponding slots.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,129 (Straight et al.) teaches a conveyor using a modular conveyor belt where individual attachment elements are attached to the belt modules using two sets of appendages for locking the attachment elements between two sets of consecutive side by side belt modules. According to this invention, the belt modules are held together using hinge pins traversing the ends of the belt modules.
Other devices known to the Applicant include U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,181 (Schneider Jr.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,393 (Steeber et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,424 (Dufour et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,135 (Post), U.S. Pat. No. D473,032 (Altom), U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,021 (Corley), U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,725 (Marshall et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,837 (Roether et al.) and US 2006/0030251 (Dufour et al.).
However, none of the prior art documents cited above includes a mechanism using a fastener locking against a vertical locking pin extending outwardly from the conveyor to provide quick removal of the belt modules, while maintaining the modules firmly in place when attached to the conveyor.
Consequently, there is presently a need for a modular conveyor belt having the above-mentioned characteristics in order to hold the modules tightly in place while offering a fast and easy removal mechanism of the modules from the conveyor, such a system being capable of operating reliably over a long period of time.